Directing
Manoel de Oliveira
Manoel de Oliveira was born in Porto, Portugal on December 11, 1908, to Francisco José de Oliveira and Cândida Ferreira Pinto. His family were wealthy industrialists. Oliveira attended school in Galicia, Spain and his goal as a teenager was to become an actor. He enrolled in Italian film-maker Rino Lupo's acting school at age 20, but later changed his mind when he saw Walther Ruttmann's documentary Berlin: Symphony of a City. This prompted him to direct his first film, also a documentary, titledDouro, Faina Fluvial (1931). He also acted in the second Portuguese sound film, A Canção de Lisboa (1933). His first feature film came much later, in 1942. Aniki-Bóbó, a portrait of Oporto's street children, was a commercial failure when it opened, and its merit only came to be recognised over time. This drawback forced Oliveira to abandon other film projects he was involved in, and to dedicate himself to running his family vineyard. He re-emerged onto the film scene in 1956 with The Artist and the City, a work that marked a turning point in Oliveira's conception of the cinema. In 1963, O Acto de Primavera (The Rite of Spring), a documentary depicting an annual passion play, marked a turning point for his career. This was shortly followed by A caça (The Hunt), a grim feature film that contrasted with the happy tones of his previous documentary. Despite the widespread acclaim garnered by both films, he would not return to the director's seat until the 1970s. Since 1990 (when he turned 82), he has made at least one film each year. Oliveira has said that he direct movies for the sheer pleasure of doing it, regardless of critical reaction. He maintains a quiet life away from the spotlights, despite multiple honours such as those of the Cannes, Venice and Montreal film festivals. He has been awarded two Career Golden Lions in 1985 and 2004 and a golden palm for his lifetime achievements in 2008.
Filmography
Browse movies and TV shows featuring Manoel de Oliveira
Agnès Varda: From Here to There
Agnès Varda takes us on a journey of discovery as she travels the globe—from Stockholm to St. Petersburg, Lisbo...
Já Está
Sodankylä Forever
The Midnight Sun Film Festival is held every June in the Finnish village of Sodankylä beyond the arctic circle...
Lisbon Story
Wim Wenders' homage to Lisbon and films. A sound engineer obtains a mysterious postcard from a friend who at th...
Cinématon
Cinématon is a 156-hour long experimental film by French director Gérard Courant. It was the longest film ever...
No, or the Vain Glory of Command
Episodes from throughout the entire military history of Portugal are told through flashbacks as a conscripted s...
Henri Langlois vu par...
Thirteen filmmakers share personal reflections on Henri Langlois—the visionary founder of the Cinémathèque Fran...
Doomed Love
A story about doomed love between two people from different worlds and the impact in their lives. Based on the...
Jornal Português (1938-1951)
The newsreel series Jornal Português (1938-1951) was produced for the Secretariat of National Propaganda (SPN/S...
Inquietude
An anthology film drama featuring a poetic mirror structure based on existential identity. In "The Immortals,"...
A Talking Picture
A meditation on civilization. July, 2001: friends wave as a cruise ship departs Lisbon for Mediterranean ports...
Guest
Filmmaker José Luis Guerin documents his experience during a year of traveling as a guest of film festivals to...
The Satin Slipper
During the century of the Spanish Gold, Doña Prouhèze, wife of a nobleman, deeply loves Don Rodrigo, who is for...
Voyage to the Beginning of the World
Manoel is an aging film director who travels with the film crew through Portugal in search of the origins of Af...
Marcello Mastroianni: I Remember
In 1996, Marcello Mastroianni talks about life as an actor. It's an anecdotal and philosophical memoir, moving...
História do Cinema Português
Visit, or Memories and Confessions
A long-hidden, personal doc about leaving a beloved house by the late, revered Portuguese director Manoel de Ol...
Biette
Documentary about the the film critic and filmmaker Jean-Claude Biette.
The Green Years
Nineteen-year-old Julio heads to Lisbon from the provinces and gets a job as a shoemaker for his uncle Raul. Bu...
The Divine Comedy
In a mental institution the patients see themselves as people like Jesus, Lazarus, Martha, Mary, Adam, Eve, Son...
A Song of Lisbon
Vasco is a medical student in Lisbon, supported by his rich aunts, whom he had falsely told he had already grad...
The Conversation Is Over
The film was to be a documentary, but evolved during production to a fictional film. It nevertheless adheres st...
Agnès Varda: From Here to There
Agnès Varda travels around the world to meet friends, artists and filmmakers for an expansive view of the globa...
101
An exploration of the movie "The strange case of Angelica" and an understanding Manoel de Oliveira's cinema.
The Life of Mirrors
The Life of Mirrors is one of the sections of the exhibition Luis Miguel Cintra - Small Theatre of the World. A...
Porto of My Childhood
Manoel de Oliveira's autobiographical documentary about returning to his hometown.
The 15th Stone
Joáo Bénard da Costa, director of the Portuguese National Film Archives [deceased in 2009], interviews the dean...
A Friendly Handshake
From the bridges of Porto to its estuary, two men are paying tribute to the elegant Douro River. Through Luís d...
Christopher Columbus, The Enigma
A true story of a doctor and his wife who went on a journey in order to prove that discoverer Christopher Colum...
Doomed Love
A story about doomed love between two people from different worlds and the impact in their lives.
Agostinho da Silva - A Living Thought
Life and legacy of Agostinho da Silva. Traversing the biographical journey, the life and work of the Luso-Brazi...
Conversazione a Porto
A conversation between the filmmaker Manoel de Olivieira and the writer Agustina Bessa-Luís, filmed in December...
The Glory of Filmmaking in Portugal
On 18 September 1929, José Régio sent a letter to Alberto Serpa expressing his desire to create a production co...
Benilde or the Virgin Mother
A young girl, Benilde, so protected by her religious family that she seemingly knows nothing about procreation,...
Oliveira, l'architecte
Paulo Rocha catches up with his “beloved subject” in Porto, where he made Douro, Faina Fluvial in 1929, and whe...